Tainted Love
by Nikki Flinn
Summary: Sequel to Everybody's Fool. When Ginny comes home to see her boyfriend in a compromising position with the last person she expects, she gets pissed. After that, she runs to Hermione who seems to be having a similar problem with Draco. What happens when th
1. My Brother!

Title: Tainted Love

Author: stealing iced tea

Summary: When Ginny comes home to see her boyfriend in a compromising position with the last person she expects, she gets pissed. After that, she runs to Hermione who seems to be having a similar problem with Draco. What happens when the two girls start falling for all the wrong people? Can they see the right one right beneath their noses? Sequel to Everybody's Fool.

Disclaimer: I own about seven hundred books. Seriously.

Chapter One

My Brother!

Ginny yawned as she entered her boyfriend's apartment. Damn. What a day. She threw her keys into the key dish on the table by the door.

She wanted nothing more than to head into bed and sleep til September but she knew she had work in the morning. She curled a lip in a silent snarl as she passed through the hall. She made her way toward the kitchen, rolling her eyes at the moans coming from the one bedroom. Blaise was watching porn again.

She didn't mind. She worked a hectic schedule and she and Blaise didn't get it on as often as they both would like. She yawned again as she rummaged through the refrigerator, frowning at the cold spaghetti. Blaise knew she hated spaghetti. She wrinkled her nose and shoved it toward the back.

Finally she settled on the remains of the scalloped potatoes she made Friday and ate them at the small table. She knew Blaise would be in the mood and she didn't want food to dampen their little time together.

Finished, she cleaned the plate and headed into the bedroom.

"Blaise, love, I hope you're decent." She called, mentally adding _Not that I haven't seen it before._

There was a curse and the moans stopped. Ginny frowned. She had seen him with his porn before. She pushed open the door... and stared.

888

Blaise led Ginny out of the bedroom, wrapped only in a towel. Ginny was still a bit shocked and didn't resist. Once they were in the main hall, Blaise turned to her.

"Ginny, it's not what it seems..." He began.

Ginny seemed to snap from her shock. She looked at Blaise with relief. "Oh, thank God!" She exclaimed in mock joy. "Because I thought you were SHAGGING MY BROTHER!"

Blaise winced and held out his hands. "This is not how I wanted you to find out..."

"What? That you're gay? Or that you're screwing my brother?"

Blaise opened his mouth again but Ginny shoved him. "Five years!" She snarled. "Five years I spent with you! When were you going to tell me?"

Blaise ran a hand through his hair and tried not to cower from the small woman. "Look, Ginny I still love you. It's just the sex isn't that interesting. But if you want to try, I mean we could do a three some..."

Ginny stared at him. "What part of 'he's my brother' don't you get?"


	2. Arrogant Arse rags and disappointed wome

Chapter Two

Arrogant Arse rags and disappointed women

Hermione's fantastic right cross caught Draco's perfect chin on it's left side, raising a bruise that would last for a week.

Draco stumbled back. He crashed into a table, where a man and his wife sat eating.

Oh, your eyes do not deceive you. Hermione and Draco were fighting in the middle of a resturant. Why? Let's listen in, shall we?

Actually there wasn't much to hear. Draco had brought Hermione to this resturant for a reason. To the normal veiwer, they had seemed a happy couple, until Draco started whispering.

The natural response of most people is to try to listen to what they're not supposed to hear. So, everyone within a ten foot radius was leaning in when Hermione exploded from her seat with a snarled "What?"

Draco raised his voice slightly, glancing around. "Look Hermione, I just think we should see other people."

"You tell me this now?" Hermione snarled. "After five years?"

The women in the vacinity winced. You never waited more than two years to tell a girl she wasn't the one. After that, she expects a ring.

Draco was looking nervous now. "Um, Mi, it's just that..."

Then began the barrage of condoments. Hermione caught Draco to the shoulder with the basket of sweeteners. The bottle of ketscup hit him in the chest.

During this stage of warfare, there were shrieks about the five years wasted, gifts she didn't like and an assortment of other choice sayings and names.

A portly man made the mistake of commenting. "Honestly, she should have seen it coming."

Hermione's back hand caught him on the cheek and sent him sprawling from his chair.

The waiters didn't have the guts to stop her as she stormed from the resturant and put the damage on Draco's bill.

888

Ginny was in the apartment eating ice cream when Hermione got home. Ginny had shown up the night before and Hermione took in her best friend, no questions asked. She had managed to coax the details from the sugar hyped girl after a few hours.

Hermione had insisted Ginny stay.

Now Hermione stalked forward and scouped herself a bowl.

Ginny passed the chocolate syrup.

(A/N: Ok, finally up and ready! I'm happyish with this chapter. Could have been longer, but that's always been my problem.

To Anon. :Glad you like it!


	3. A Chocolate crazed decesion

Chapter Three

A chocolate crazed decision

Hermione was finishing her third bowl. Ginny had easily gotten the story from her best friend. Now the two girls were belabouring the unsavory attributes of their exes.

"They lie."

"They have affairs."

"They lead you on."

Ginny sucked on her spoon and looked thoughtful. "Maybe we should give up men."

"No argument."

"But there are still some hot guys out there."

"Hmm. True."

"Maybe we should make a pact."

"Do tell."

Ginny took the spoon from her mouth and used it to gesture.

"Well, when we start dating again we should be there for each other. We only move out of here if it looks serious."

"And when we break up?"

"Ice cream and kareoke."

Hermione grinned. "Most girls would turn to alcohol."

"But then you get the hangover."

"True. Why no kareoke this time?"

"Mione, love, it's two in the morning."

"Good point. Any closing statements?"

"Hsawaknow."

"Good. Meeting ajourned."

(A/N: Short I realize. I promise to make the next one better.

To acereyis- I'll get to most of that in later chapters. I'm trying a slower pace for this fic. Probably won't last long, but I'm trying!

To sisterclara- Mmm, not really. Draco is having an affair with another woman. (don't ask me who. I haven't decided.)


	4. James Clemens

Chapter Four

James Clemens

Ginny started dating first. His name was James Clemens. She met him in the bookstore she owned.

"Excuse me?"

Ginny turned to see a tall man with sandy brown hair and dark green eyes smiling at her. She smiled back, as she put Hardy's Tess of The D'urbervilles on the shelf.

"Can I help you?"

"I'm looking for the Wheel of Time series. I have to say I can't remember who wrote it, but I heard it was good."

Ginny took him to the proper aisle and showed him the said series. The next day he was back asking for prices on the Elanium by David Eddings. Ginny supplied said prices. She realized as she talked with him that she was flirting.

James was charming and Ginny found herself interested. He was mature and gentlemanly. His smile brought one to her lips. She spent time with him. Soon they were dating.

Hermione approved. She had been invited to meet James a time or two and found him just as charming. Even so, there was something that rubbed her wrong about him. He was perhaps too charming. She didn't say anything to Ginny. Her friend needed her space and she didn't want to seem overly protective or anything.

James and Ginny were an adorable couple, always cuddled in some corner with a book. Ginny was happy for the first time since Blaise. James was a perfect gentleman.

Yet Ginny couldn't quite be fully comfortable around him. There was something about him that made her hold back. She felt like she was betraying Hermione. She wasn't but it still felt wrong that she had such a fanstastic guy and Hermione, who had always been there for her, had no one.

(A/N: Ohhh! It's sooo short! This is what happens when you write at three in the morning! Bad things! (waves hands emphatically) Bad!


	5. I will Survive

Chapter Five

I Will Survive

Ginny stormed into the apartment. Hermione glanced up from her book. She set it down quickly. "What'd he do?"

Ginny glanced at her. Her features softened and she collasped in the chair beside her. "How offended would you be if you found out this amazing guy was married with three kids?"

Hermione winced. "That bad?"

"Yeah. Worse, he wanted me to become his mistress."

Hermione sighed. "All the good ones are either taken, scared of commitment or secretly gay."

Ginny smiled. "Pretty much sums up our dating experience to date."

Hermione laughed. "Yeah, it does."

They sat still for a few moments. Hermione turned to Ginny at the same time the younger girl turned to her. "What song did you want?"

Ginny grinned.

888

Ginny was standing on the coffee table. A half full bottle of Corona was in one hand, the microphone of Hermione's kareoke machine in the other. She was slightly entoxicated and managing to sing into the right hand only occasionally. Mostly her Corona was getting the music.

Hermione was sitting, nursing a third gin and tonic, giggling like a little girl. Chocolate was all over her face and an empty carton of Ben and Jerry's lay at her feet.

The girls had been alternating between Broadway showtunes that they only knew half the words to and Billy Joel songs they could sing backwards if they had to.

A new song came on and Ginny became very excited. "I looooooove this song!" She shrieked.

She belted into the Corona bottle. "First I was afraid!"

Hermione laughed and fell off the couch.

"I was petrifried!" Ginny sang, not seeming to notice she had gotten the words wrong.

"Kept thinking I could never live without you by my side!"

Ginny jumped off the table and strutted around the room, turning confident before Hermione's eyes. Hermione laughed and fell onto her side, spilling her drink.

"Then I spent so many nights!

Just thinking how you did me wrong!

And I grew strong!"

Ginny spun, still singing into the bottle, the microphone lying forgotten on the coffee table. "And now you're back!"

Hermione managed to pull herself back up on the couch as Ginny stalked over. She lowered her voice seductively. Hermione knew it was the beer talking, but she let her go on. Neither was in a position to stop her.

"From outer space.

I just walked in to find you here with that sad look upon your face."

Ginny straddled Hermione's legs, still singing into the bottle.

"I should have changed that stupid lock.."

Ginny leaned close and for a moment Hermione thought the younger girl was going to kiss her. Then Ginny's eyes rolled up and she fell on her side in a dead faint.

Although neither girl fully remembered that night, it was a long while before they stopped feeling akward around each other.

(A/N: Shorter than I would have liked, but with three papers due at various times today, you're lucky you guys are even getting an update. On the negative side, I'm three days behind schedule. I was supposed to update this on wenesday but I didn't have the files ready yet. I think I have time for one more update today so I hope you aren't too pissed at the five day weekend there.


	6. Joe Walton

Chapter Six

Joe Walton

Hermione met Joe at the library she worked at. He worked there too as a book clerk. He mostly covered the night shift and so she only saw him at the end of her shift. One night in mid June, Elizabeth Scarborough called off for the night shift. Hermione, with nothing better to do, said she could man the desk. As you can well imagine not many people came in for the night shift. Mostly the paper store was hit. The paper store was part of the library. They handled faxes and copies over there.

Hermione stood behind the desk, leaning on her elbow and surveying the paper store. At night they closed the main doors to the library so that to access it you had to go through the paper store.

Hermione glanced up from the Clive Cussler book she was reading as a swarthy young man, dressed in full security gaurd regalia entered. She raised an eyebrow. "Can I help you sir?"

He started and spun to face her. He was attractive and Hermione found his chocolate brown eyes much to her liking. She resisted the urge to flush and met his gaze squarly.

"Sorry," He said with an apologetic smile. "I'm so used to Lizzie. Joesph Walton. Called Joe."

He held out a hand. She took it. "Hermione Granger. Called Mione."

He smiled. "Pretty name. Greek right?"

She smiled back. "Only daughter of Menalaus and Helen."

He nodded. "You work here long?"

"Not too much so. I usually can pull my own just working part time as a computer consultant. But a friend of mine is now a roommate and I thought it prudent to actually put forth an effort."

"Who were you sharing it with before that?"

"Ex boyfriend."

He gave a fake wince as though wounded.

"Ah, boyfriends never insist their girlfriend pays the full share. Just one of those chivalry things."

Hermione laughed.

Hermione and Joe passed the night together with ease and calmness. Hermione liked him. He was charming and cute. And he hadn't made any signs to show he was crazy yet. They talked all night. The store was slow that night and Joe spent most of his time leaning against the counter, or engaging her in a coffee break. Joe swore the coffee was mandatory for any stake out. Hermione asked, straight faced, if he'd brought the A1.

(A/N: Well, I hope you all enjoy this one. God I'm tired. All this running around is crazy.


	7. Feelings

Chapter Seven

Feelings

Ginny glanced up as Hermione entered the room, a bounce in her step.

"What's got you so happy?" She asked around the toothpick.

Hermione shook her head. "Oh, nothing."

"You don't fool me for a minute." Ginny replied, setting down the magazine she had been reading. "Seriously."

Hermione sighed. "I guess I can't."

She slid into the chair across from Ginny.

'There's this guy at work."

"With you so far."

"And he's really really sweet!"

"Oookkkaaayyyy." Ginny drawled.

"Well... he asked me on a date!"

Ginny blinked. She wasn't sure what she had expected, but it wasn't that.

"Say you're ok with it?" Hermione begged.

Ginny grinned. "Of course I am! It's not like I have a monopoly on you. Or love you or any thing!"

_Only I do._

888

Ginny wasn't quite sure when it started. Before the kareoke ordeal. Ginny could hold her liquor. She had been no where near her limit when she sang that song. She had also pretended to pass out when she got too close.

She had liked Hermione well enough in school. They had been good friends and Hermione had helped her out of her shell.

But now it was something more. She wanted Hermione to like her back. Not the way she currently did. The way Ginny did.

Ginny liked Hermione like that. She came dangerously close to loving the older girl. She swore she would never love, not after that whole ordeal with Blaise. But her heart longed for it and Ginny was nearly helpless to stop it from reaching for those stars.

She watched over the next few weeks. Watched Hermione with her Joe. They were happy. Her heart ached to ruin the relationship, to shatter Hermione's tender grip on happiness. But every part of her knew she couldn't do that.

So she watched. Watched silently as Hermione gave away her love.

She watched and cried.

But she never stepped in.

That was how Much Hermione meant to her.

The End.

(A/N: This is probably one of the saddest endings I've ever written.


End file.
